In recent times, number of mobile users demanding value added services has been continuously increasing. Value added services include all services beyond standard voice calls and fax transmissions which are provided to the subscriber by a service provider. Examples of a value added service may include, but is not limited to, a Short Message Service (SMS), a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), an SMS alert, e-commerce services etc. Telecommunication service providers collaborate with value added service (VAS) providers to provide value added services to subscribers of a telecommunication service.
In a telecommunication network, when a caller makes a call to a callee using a communication terminal, the caller hears a call progress tone. Examples of the communication terminal may include without limitation, a mobile phone and a landline phone. The call progress tone is heard by the caller till the callee responds to the call and initiates a conversation with the caller. The call progress tone may include a ring back tone (RBT), a call busy tone and a call-waiting tone. Ring back tone (RBT) service is also an example of a value added service provided to the users. RBT is usually a monotonous sound heard by a caller while waiting for a callee to respond to a call. A ring back tone (RBT), which is conventionally a monotonous sound, can be replaced by other tones, for example, songs, personalized messages, advertisements, music, news, and sports commentary. Users have an option of selecting an RBT of their choice by subscribing to an RBT service. The RBT service enables the RBT subscriber to choose a particular tone as the RBT.
A significant number of mobile subscribers are also subscribers of social networking websites. Social networking web sites have gained popularity as they have become the new meeting grounds for many people. A social networking site is a website that facilitates building online communities of people who share interests or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. The social networking websites enable users to connect with existing and old friends, find people sharing common hobbies and interests, establish new business contacts online and the like. Users maintain their profile in social networking sites which gives information about their location, interests, hobbies and the like. Users can share pictures and send messages through their profile to other users who can access this information by logging on to the social networking site. Additional services provided by a social networking site is providing updates on changes made by a user in the social network profile and recent activities of the user to other users. However, services like accessing social network profile information of users can be availed of only by a subscriber having access to the Internet. In an exemplary scenario, a mobile user may need access to a social networking service such as information about updates to a friend's profile but may not have access to the Internet. A value added service that may be attractive to such a mobile user may be access to a social network profile in an offline scenario.
In light of the above discussion, there exists a need to integrate social network services and mobile services such that innovative services may be provided to subscribers of such services.